Four ACC teams will be led by new head coaches this fall, and three of those squads are in the Coastal Division. What do the returning coaches have to say about their new rivals?
“I’ve had great respect for our coaches. This my ninth year in the league, and there’s been a lot of change. Paul Johnson and I are the only two that are still around from the beginning, but we’ve had incredibly gifted coaches. I think we’ve seen these three guys land in places that fit them well. I have the ultimate respect from Frank Beamer — one of the best football coaches I’ve ever known. But I have great respect for Coach (Justin Fuente). I’ve coached against his Memphis teams. I already know how good he is. I’ve known Mark Richt forever. I know how good he is … I’m very close with Bronco (Mendenhall). We served on the AFCA Board of Trustees together and have spent a lot of time together talking football, talking student-athletes and all sorts of things … I think we’ve had great coaches, but we certainly have three new guys that are coming in that bring something to the room.” — Duke head coach David Cutcliffe
“I look at it as you’ve got three guys with tremendous pedigrees. Every single one of them. They have just strengthened the Coastal Divison. They’ve made the Coastal Division tougher than it was before. In my opinion, since I’ve been here over five years now, it’s gotten harder and harder and harder to win in this league.” — North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora
“I’ve got a lot of respect for not only the coaches and where they came from but for the players that they’ve got … It’s no different than a non-conference opponent in my opinion. It’s the first time you’ve played them. You’re going to go out and do your homework about what they did when they were at BYU or wherever they were and try to find out what they’ve done in the past and watch a lot of tape on what they are.” — Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi
“Bronco’s a good coach. They do a nice job. It was different when you played BYU. They were guys who were 23 or 24 years old. But certainly he did a great job there, and I’m sure that he’s going to have a good program at UVA.” — Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson on new Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall